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Rental-car company Hertz Global Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTZ) is buying rival Dollar Thrify Automotive Group Inc. (NYSE:DTG) for about $2.3 billion in cash to increase its global reach.

Now that 2012 is two-thirds over, it’s already time to label it, like the Asians do. Unlike 4709, it’s not the Year of the Dragon. It’s the Year of Anticipation.

Global automakers from Renault SA (Paris: RNO) to Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) to Chinese companies like Geely Automotive are all racing to get a piece of the long-term potential promised by Africa's burgeoning automotive market. The continent's economy is on the rise, and despite very real improvements in the quality of life and standards of living in many African countries, risks for multinational manufacturers remain.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Friday were Delek US Holdings, Cenveo, Demand Media, Magnum Hunter Resources and Radioshack Corp. The top after-market NYSE losers were Stillwater Mining, Nationstar Mortgage Holdings, Hovnanian Enterprises, Standard Pacific Corp and SM Energy Co.

Each week, we pick the biggest, most dramatic, or most interesting winners and losers in money and business. Our picks for Aug. 19-24 include the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and Eli Lilly & Co. on one side, and ZeekRewards and Best Buy Co. Inc. on the other side.

Zynga Inc. lost another high-profile executive, when Alan Patmore, the San Francisco-based social game developer's general manager for its popular Facebook title "CityVille," left the company for Kixeye Inc.

Facebook Inc. (Nasdaq: FB)'s stock may be sinking, but it is forging ahead with an expansion to its campus in Menlo Park, Calif., designed by the renowned architect Frank Gehry.

While the second-quarter earnings season is coming to a close, investors will still see a trickle of companies reporting results next week. They include Heinz, Joy Global, Pandora Media, Splunk, and Tiffany.

The Newspaper Association of America on Thursday blasted the Postal Regulatory Commission over a plan to give one of the industry's largest competitors a special discount on advertising circulars.

The drug inhibits cancer-cell growth and is approved in the U.S. for use in treating mesothelioma, caused largely by asbestos exposure, and non-small cell lung cancer cause primarily from smoking cigarettes.

Bill Ackman, the mercurial hedge fund manager of Pershing Square Capital LLP and activist investor, is at it again. Ackman said in a regulatory filing Thursday that his company had been in talks with Simon Property Group Inc. (NYSE: SPG), the largest U.S. mall owner, regarding a takeover of General Group Properties Inc. (NYSE: GGP), its next largest rival.

Four months after Sony unveiled its "One Sony" concept to recapture its leading role, Sony has finally offered a glimpse into its practical strategies to streamline integration between different hardware products and media platforms.

A 70-year-old security worker for the exchange was hit by a truck while eating Chinese food outside and died on the sidewalk Thursday.

Bankrupt photography giant Eastman Kodak Co. (Pink: EKDKQ) announced it plans to sell its legacy businesses in cameras, film and photos to become a company that specialized in printers.

Orders for long-lasting goods surged in July on strong demand for civilian aircraft, the government said Friday, but bookings weakened in many other sectors.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Thursday were SuperValu Inc, Tahoe Resources, Black Hills Corp, Yingli Green Energy Holding and McEwen Mining Inc. The top after-market NYSE losers were Salesforce.com, Solera Holdings, Hormel Foods, General Growth Properties and Sprint Nextel Corp.

Salesforce.com's (NYSE: CRM) second-quarter results proved its strategy of adapting its software-as-a-service model to the increased use of the cloud by enterprises can pay off handsomely for investors.

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is expanding its immunization offerings in the U.S. to help lift domestic revenue to levels it is achieving outside the U.S.

Walt Disney Studios (NYSE: DIS) confirmed to Us Weekly on Wednesday that Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, the 4-year-old daughter of Hollywood power couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, is making her big-screen debut in "Maleficent," a live-action "Sleeping Beauty" reboot that stars her famous mom in the title role.

Qantas Airways Limited (ASX:QAN) is cancelling its order for 35 Boeing 787-9 aircraft, the Australian airline announced Thursday, dealing the U.S. maker of the advanced aircraft an $8.5 billion drop in sales.

After beating market expectations earlier this month with its second-quarter earnings, Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) has managed to remain competitive against the king of low prices: Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT).